Mark Morris Institute

Veterinary School Nutrition Courses

The Mark Morris Institute Veterinary Nutrition Teaching Program offers current, non-commercial dog and cat nutrition learning activities at no cost to the hosting school. We offer live in-person or online lectures, case-based discussions, practical exercises (problem sets and laboratories), and asynchronous e-learning modules, which can be combined to create a customized clinical nutrition course – elective or required – for your institution.

Our faculty consists of experienced, clinically proficient experts in small animal clinical nutrition. All of our faculty are Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists® through the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and have extensive speaking and teaching experience.

In addition to course-oriented learning activities, in-person MMI university visits can include continuing education lectures for house officers and faculty, and attendance at clinical rounds.

The Mark Morris Institute is pleased to offer these courses and services free of charge to Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine, subject to certain requirements.

Testimonials:

“I am a new course coordinator for VMED 0818 Veterinary Nutrition... I have been impressed with your team and technical support crew. They are very efficient and professional... I find [the modules] current, relatable, and fun. And I must say, the quiz is not easy! The knowledge they gain from this course will benefit so many patients in their lives.”
Noriko Aoi, Clinical Faculty at Tuskegee University

“I really enjoy it! The questions in each module are engaging and follow along with the material well... It’s been a great way to learn so far. My favorite part has been working through the cases.”
First Year Student

"I had the pleasure of taking your clinical nutrition elective and I truly enjoyed it. I am now wrapping up my ICU and Internal Medicine rotations. I wanted to reach out to share how often I’ve relied on the class notes and resources you provided. They have been invaluable, and I felt well-prepared when developing nutritional management plans for my patients. I had such a great experience applying what I learned in your course. Thank you for the exceptional instruction and for inspiring my interest in clinical nutrition."
4th Year Student

Program Requirements

The Mark Morris Institute offers our services free of charge to Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine, subject to the following requirements:

The learning activities must be part of the formal curriculum in a College or School of Veterinary Medicine (electives included if course credit is granted).
Online instruction (meeting AVMA COE Distance Education guidelines) should include at least 50 student contact hours; in-person instruction requires at least 10 students and 100 contact hours.
The school must appoint a contact person (ideally a course director) to coordinate scheduling and ensure policy compliance.
In-person learning activities should be compressed into a minimal number of days (≤ 5 consecutive days). Online formats offer more flexibility.
Course schedule requirements must be communicated well in advance to ensure availability of faculty and resources.

If you're interested in discussing options for your institution, please contact us. We look forward to working with you!

Course Catalog

**Click here for a full color pdf of our course catalog**

All MMI teaching materials are developed in collaboration with at least 2 academic or freelance Board-certified Veterinary Nutritionists and/or Board-certified Veterinary Internists as well as instructional design experts to ensure that they represent the most current content and modern pedagogical principles.

Nutritional Physiology and Biochemistry

*Contact Mark Morris Institute for additional details about our ability to provide presentations in this area to fit your curricular needs*

Basic Nutritional Principles

Protein
Carbohydrates
Lipids and fatty acids
Vitamins and minerals

General Clinical Nutrition Topics

Nutritional Assessment
Energy Calculations and Food Dosage
Approach to a Nutrition Case
Nutrition resources

Homemade and Commercial Pet Foods

Introduction to Pet Food
Interpretation and Regulation of Pet Food Labels
Pet Nutrition Label Laboratory
Alternative Diets
Pet Food Math

Feeding Healthy Pets

Feeding Healthy Dogs and Cats
Use of dietary supplements
Teaching cases by lifestage

Nutritional Management of Disease (for 3rd and 4th year students)

Clinical Nutrition Elective Courses/Rotations

Lectures
Problem sets, lab exercises, product investigations
Field trips
Case discussions

Please contact us to discuss elective courses in more detail.

E-learning Clinical Nutrition Courses

MMI offers asynchronous modules that can be used alone or in hybrid courses. Contact us for more details.

Faculty

MMI faculty are Board Certified in Veterinary Nutrition by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and have extensive teaching and clinical experience. Detailed bios can be found on our Faculty page.